Chapter 3

The sound of laughter forced Elara out of sleep. She had replayed the whole interaction in her head multiple times but it made no sense. 

How could he throw away three years in one night?

This was the same man who had chased her for years. When they finally started dating, he treated her like a queen. 

He was always so thoughtful and romantic. She remembered the cold look in his eyes at the party and the mean way he spoke to her. Her Alexander would never talk to her like that. He would never act that way, and he would definitely never leave her for her best friend.

Elara had cried herself to sleep every night since the party. On the first day, she sat by her phone and waited. She was sure he would call to say it was all a big mistake. But he never did.

For the next few days, she did the same thing, but there was only silence. Yesterday, she finally tried to call him, but it went straight to voicemail.

She couldn't just sit here anymore. She had to do something. She decided she was going to his office to talk to him face-to-face.

"Maybe he's still in there," she whispered.

She hoped the man she loved was still there somewhere, and that he could explain why he had broken her heart.

Elara walked through the glass doors of Sterling-Apex. Her heart was pounding, but she tried to stay calm. She went straight to the front desk.

Sashi was working. She was the same girl who always let Elara up to see Alex. Usually, Sashi would smile and wave her through, knowing exactly who she was.

"I’m here to see Alexander," Elara said. 

Sashi didn’t look up from her computer screen. Her voice was flat. "You can’t see Mr. Sterling without an appointment."

Elara’s eyes widened. She leaned over the desk. "Sashi, it's me. I don’t need an appointment. I’m his girlfriend."

Sashi finally looked up, but she didn't smile. Her eyes were full of pity. She leaned in close and lowered her voice. "You’ve been blacklisted, Miss Smith. I’m really sorry, but I’m just doing my job."

Elara felt like she had been punched. She almost choked on her words. "Blacklisted? Is there anything you can do? Anything at all?"

Sashi shook her head sadly. "No, Miss Smith. I'm so sorry. I can tell Mr. Sterling that you stopped by, but that’s it."

Elara nodded slowly. She felt dizzy. "Thank you," she whispered.

She turned to leave, clutching her chest. Her heart felt like it was trying to jump right out of her body. Every breath hurt.

She was almost at the door when she heard it. A sultry, annoying, and very familiar voice.

"Going somewhere, Elara?"

It was Vivienne.

Elara froze. The sound of that voice made bile rise in her throat. She felt a wave of pure disgust. She didn’t know who she hated more right now: her cheating boyfriend or her fake best friend.

She kept her head down and kept walking. She acted like Vivienne wasn't even there. She couldn't bring herself to look at her.

"Honey," Vivienne called out, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Leaving so soon without saying goodbye?"

Elara balled her hands into fists at her sides. Her nails dug into her palms. She didn't say a word; she just walked faster toward the exit. She wanted to get away from the smell of Vivienne's expensive perfume.

But the clicking of heels followed her. Vivienne wasn't letting her go.

"What does she even want?" Elara hissed under her breath.

She reached the heavy glass doors, but Vivienne was right behind her. Elara could feel the woman's smug smile burning into her back.

Vivienne grabbed Elara’s arm, jerking her back. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, bitch," she snapped. "It seems you still don't know your place."

Elara spun around, her eyes flashing with anger. But before she could even open her mouth, Vivienne suddenly threw herself backward. She hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Don't hurt me!" Vivienne shrieked, covering her face as if Elara had just pushed her down.

Elara stood frozen, her jaw dropping. She looked down at Vivienne, who was cowering on the shiny lobby floor. For a split second, Vivienne looked up, and an evil glint glistened in her eyes. She gave Elara a cruel smile that no one else could see.

The lobby went silent. Then, the whispers started. People stopped at the elevators and the front desk, staring at Elara like she was a monster.

'What the fuck is she doing?' Elara asked herself, her head spinning.

"It's not my fault he left you, Lara!" Vivienne sobbed loudly, making sure everyone could hear. "I'm not at fault for his choices! Please, just leave us alone!"

She continued her show, rubbing her arm as if she were in pain. Elara looked around at the crowd. They weren't looking at Vivienne’s lies; they were looking at Elara’s balled fists and her angry face.

"Vivienne, get up," Elara hissed, her face turning bright red from embarrassment and shock. "Stop lying!"

Elara scoffed. She couldn't take one more second of this fake show. She looked around at the terrified faces of the people passing by, and her heart sank to her feet.

People were actually believing it. Some people even took out their phones to record her.

Elara turned to walk away, desperate to escape the cameras, but Vivienne lunged forward and grabbed Elara’s legs. She pinned her in place.

"Please, I'm so sorry!" Vivienne wailed, clinging to Elara’s jeans. "You’re my best friend! I love you!"

Elara looked down in horror. Vivienne was crying fake tears, making Elara look like a violent bully.

"What a monster," one woman whispered, shaking her head.

"Is she really that evil?" another person asked, pointing a phone at Elara's face.

"No wonder the CEO dumped her," a man added loudly. "Look at how she treats people."

Elara felt like she was suffocating.

A handsome young man suddenly stepped into the middle of the crowd. 

"Stop recording!" he shouted.

When they didn't listen, he snatched phones right out of people's hands and threw them to the ground. People backed away in shock.

He looked down at Vivienne, who was still clinging to Elara’s legs and sobbing. Without a word, he grabbed Vivienne’s shoulders and firmly pushed her off. 

The man turned to Elara. He saw how pale she was and how much she was shaking. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"Let’s go," he said firmly.

He escorted her toward the exit, shielding her.